Bills’ starting QB competition is still reportedly wide open

Josh Allen was given a great opportunity to run away with the Buffalo Bills’ starting quarterback job in the team’s third preseason game on Sunday, but he had an incredibly rough afternoon. As a result, he is far from a guarantee to be under center in Week 1.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported on Monday that the Bills had made it clear Allen, Nathan Peterman and A.J. McCarron were all still in the mix for the starting job before they gave Allen the nod in the all-important third preseason game. After Allen completed just 6-of-12 passes for 34 yards against the Cincinnati Bengals, the competition sounds as open as ever.

From @gmfb: Even before Josh Allen’s start, it was clear the #Bills were not going to simply hand the job to their rookie. Meanwhile Nathan Peterman keeps playing well. pic.twitter.com/UdaqHGx0dr

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 27, 2018

“It was made pretty specifically clear to me that Nathan Peterman is still very much in it — so, by the way, is A.J. McCarron,” Rapoport said. “If they do need to turn to Nathan Peterman, they are absolutely fine doing it. In practice, he’s been really good. He’s kind of emerging into a little bit of a leader here.”

Allen didn’t get much help on Sunday, as he was running for his life almost the entire time he was in and was sacked five times. He was checked for a concussion after his helmet bounced off the turf on one play, but he was eventually cleared.

With Buffalo’s offensive line looking like a huge concern, it might make more sense to not risk hurting Allen’s confidence early in the season. While we have seen indicators that Allen could earn the Week 1 job, the last thing the Bills want to do is put their first-round pick in a position to fail.